So Ben Hadad wasn’t his name, it
was a title he’d claimed for himself, “son
of god.”

The Syrians recognized the growing power of the emerging Israel & knew they’d eventually try to press northeast to reclaim the Golan Heights
Syria had taken from them years before.

So they decided to launch a
pre-emptive strike & reduce Israel to a vassal state.

Ahab & the northern tribes were not prepared.

The Syrians were able to march
virtually unopposed all the way to the new capital of Israel at Samaria.

Ahab never had time to mobilize his
main army.

His only advantage was the young
commanders of the provinces who managed to outpace the Syrian advance &
arrived at Samaria just ahead of the enemy.

With them, these commanders brought
their hand-picked best troops.

2Then he sent messengers into the
city to Ahab king of Israel, and said to him, “Thus says Ben-Hadad:3‘Your silver and your gold are
mine; your loveliest wives and children are mine.’ ”4And the king of Israel answered and said, “My lord, O king, just as you
say, I and all that I have are yours.”

As soon as the siege was set & the city surrounded, the
king of Syria sent a message to Ahab with the terms of surrender.

He was to surrender all his wealth
& family as hostages.

The point was clear – Israel was defeated & Ahab was to be Ben Hadad’s vassal.

Without deliberation, Ahab capitulated.

Now, normally, some negotiating
would take place. But Ahab’s got a plan.

He knows if he accepts the initial
terms, Ben Hadad will press for more, and that’s exactly what Ahab’s counting
on.

5Then the messengers came back and
said, “Thus speaks Ben-Hadad, saying, ‘Indeed I have sent to you, saying, “You
shall deliver to me your silver and your gold, your wives and your children”;6but I will send my servants to you
tomorrow about this time, and they shall search your house and the houses of
your servants. And it shall be, thatwhatever is pleasant in
your eyes, they will put it in their hands and take it.’ ”

Ahab knew Ben Hadad would demand something like this.

It’s one thing for HIM to lose all his wealth & family, but Ahab
knew when the demand was made of all the leaders of Israel, they’d be more
inclined to fight.

7So the king of Israel called all
the elders of the land, and said, “Notice, please, and see how this man
seeks trouble, for he sent to me for my wives, my children, my silver, and my
gold; and I did not deny him.”

“I didn’t provoke him!! I complied with his request. But
then he went and got all uppity and demands you guys give up your stuff too.”

Ahab is a very clever guy!

8And all the elders and all the
people said to him, “Do not listen or consent.”

The rest of the leaders of Israel refuse the new terms,
meaning one thing – war!

9Therefore he said to the messengers
of Ben-Hadad, “Tell my lord the king, ‘All that you sent for to your servant
the first time I will do, but this thing I cannot do.’ ” And the messengers
departed and brought back word to him.10Then Ben-Hadad sent to him and said, “The gods do so to me, and more
also, if enough dust is left of Samaria for a handful for each of the people
who follow me.”

Ahab sent word to the king of Syria that the new terms were
rejected.

So Ben Hadad sent the messengers back to Ahab with the announcement there’d be no
mercy in the coming battle, Samaria’s destruction would be complete!

Ahab sent hem back one last time
with a retort that’s become a saying in Hebrew to this day -

11So the king of Israel answered and said, “Tell him, ‘Let not the one who puts onhis armor
boast like the one who takes it off.’ ”

In other words – “We’ll see about that!”

12And it happened when Ben-Hadad
heard this message, as he and the kings were drinking at the command
post, that he said to his servants, “Get ready.” And they got ready to attack
the city.

Here’s the problem – Ben-Hadad & his commanders aren’t
in the right state of mind.

They’ve been drinking, partying!
They’re getting drunk; not the condition you want to be in when you’re entering
mortal battle.

But they think their forces are so
superior, sheer numbers will make for an easy victory.

13Suddenly a prophet approached
Ahab king of Israel, saying, “Thus says the Lord:
‘Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, I will deliver it into your
hand today, and you shall know that I am the Lord.’ ”14So Ahab said, “By whom?” And he said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘By the young leaders of the
provinces.’ ” Then he said, “Who will set the battle in order?” And he
answered, “You.”15Then he
mustered the young leaders of the provinces, and there were 232; and after them
he mustered all the people, all the children of Israel—7,000.16So they went out at noon. Meanwhile
Ben-Hadad and the 32 kings helping him were getting drunk at the command post.17The young leaders of the provinces
went out first. And Ben-Hadad sent out a patrol, and they told him,
saying, “Men are coming out of Samaria!”18So he said, “If they have come out for peace, take them alive; and if
they have come out for war, take them alive.”19Then these young leaders of the provinces went out of the city with the
army which followed them.20And each one killed his man; so the Syrians fled, and Israel pursued
them; and Ben-Hadad the king of Syria escaped on a horse with the cavalry.21 Then the king of Israel went out
and attacked the horses and chariots, and killed the Syrians with a great
slaughter.

Here’s how it went . . .

Ahab first sent out a diversionary
force of 232 crack troops; these guys were all skilled warriors.

Their prowess in battle way outdid
their small numbers.

When they first came out of the main gate of Samaria, the
Syrians guards sent word to the command center.

Ben Hadad, drunk as he was, thought
it was some kind of a joke that Ahab would send such a small force out, so he
decided to turn the tables on him by instead of killing them outright, to take
them prisoner and use them as leverage.

The problem is, these 232 guys had
no intention of being taken prisoner; they were never going to surrender.

As they mowed down the Syrians who
came to capture them, more & more troops had to go until pretty soon the
main body of the Syrian force was bearing down on them.

Ahab was watching form the Samaria’s walls and as soon as he
saw this shift in the deployment of the enemy, he came out of the city with the
main force, 7000 strong.

They immediately pressed toward the
Syrian command center where Ben-Hadad & his buddies were getting wasted.

Only the Syrian cavalry along with
their inebriated king were able to get away in time.

This was a major set back to the Syrians.

In v. 13 we read that a prophet told Ahab this is how the
battle would turn out.

What’s interesting, is that Ahab
doesn’t arrest & clap this man of God in chains.

Remember, the worship of Yahweh had
been banned by Ahab & Jezebel; & the servants of God had been driven
into hiding.

But Ahab doesn’t arrest this guy
when he comes with the good news that God is going to help them defeat the
enemy. Why?

Because, above all else, Ahab is a pragmatist. All that matters to him is that something works.

Who cares what or how!

He’s one of those guys who sees
himself as a hard-headed realist – a guy who has his feet planted firmly on the
ground, in the cold, hard light of day.

For Ahab, power & politics are
all that matter.

Religion is just a lot of
mumbo-jumbo, but a convenient tool to use on others to get them what he wants
them to do.

To be sure, Ahab’s seen some pretty
wild things in his time.

The drought brought on & ended
by Elijah’s word.

Fire from heaven that consumed
Elijah’s offering on Mt. Carmel.

And this miraculous victory over a
vastly superior force.

But Ahab’s always got an explanation for such things.

It’s coincidence that there was a
drought.

It’s a fluke that the prophet
announced his victory over the Syrians.

As for the fire from heaven, well,
there’s GOT to be some natural explanation for that – some law of
nature that man has yet to discover.

I’ve known a few Ahab’s – people who’ve seen amazing
miracles time & again.

But they make no real, lasting
difference in how they live or what they believe.

Because God is all wise & all loving & not willing
that any perish, I’m convinced if seeing a miracle is what it would take to
convince someone to turn to Him, then God will send that miracle.

For some, that’s exactly what
happens.

But God knows others won’t be convinced
even if they do witness a miracle, so no miracle comes.

Still others, like Ahab, see
miracles but remain in unbelief.

They will have more to answer for
in the judgment because God gave them abundant evidence of His existence, but
they refused to come to faith in Him.

2. Campaign #2 • vs. 23-30

22 And the prophet came to the king
of Israel and said to him, “Go, strengthen yourself; take note, and see what
you should do, for in the spring of the year the king of Syria will come up
against you.”

Ben Hadad now has something to prove. He got whooped before & needed to recover face – an
all-important value in the Oriental culture of the Middle East.

The same prophet who’d encouraged Ahab before returns with
counsel from God on what to do.

He ought to build up the defenses
of Israel for the coming assault.

Ahab got caught with his proverbial
pants down last time, he ought not let if happen again.

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool
me twice, shame on me.

23Then the servants of the king of
Syria said to him, “Their gods are gods of the hills. Therefore they
were stronger than we; but if we fight against them in the plain, surely we
will be stronger than they.24So do this thing: Dismiss the kings, each from his position, and put
captains in their places;25and you shall muster an army like the army that you have lost, horse
for horse and chariot for chariot. Then we will fight against them in the
plain; surely we will be stronger than they.” And he listened to their voice
and did so.

Ben-Hadad’s counselors told him the reason for Israel’s
victory was because Yahweh was a deity of the hill country.

Syria’s gods prefer the plains.
Lure Israel’s army out of their hills into the flats and Syria will dominate.

Also, Ben-Hadad needs to loose the petty kings as his commanders
and pick guys who actually know something about war – these guys know better
than to get smashed on the eve of battle.

26So it was, in the spring of the
year, that Ben-Hadad mustered the Syrians and went up to Aphek to fight against
Israel.27And the children
of Israel were mustered and given provisions, and they went against them. Now
the children of Israel encamped before them like two little flocks of goats,
while the Syrians filled the countryside.28Then a man of God came and spoke to the king of Israel, and said, “Thus
says the Lord: ‘Because the
Syrians have said, “The Lordis
God of the hills, but He is not God of the valleys,” therefore I will
deliver all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am
the Lord.’ ”29And they encamped opposite each other for
seven days. So it was that on the seventh day the battle was joined; and the
children of Israel killed one hundred thousand foot soldiers of the
Syrians in one day.30But
the rest fled to Aphek, into the city; then a wall fell on twenty-seven
thousand of the men who were left. And Ben-Hadad fled and went into the
city, into an inner chamber.

Aphek is in the Golan
Heights.

Knowing the Syrians would attack,
Ahab led his forces up on the Golan and met the advancing Syrian force near
Aphek.

If you’ve seen the movie 300
or know the story of the Battle of Thermopylae, you can get an idea of the
setting here.

Instead of a narrow pass between cliffs were the 300
Spartans held off the many thousands of Persians, this site was a narrow strip
of land about a football field in length, wide – 330 feet.

This narrow strip runs 440 feet in
length, plunging away on either side into steep walled gullies.

Ahab has well more than 300, but
his numbers are vastly overwhelmed by the Syrians who have the high ground
behind them and a far more expansive field.

Israel is limited to a small
platform.

For a week they face off against each other. Then on the 8th
day, Israel attacked.

Though no account of the details of
the battle are given, scholars think Ahab probably sent some troops through the
gullies, up the other side of the cliff, and into the back of the Syrian lines.

Thinking he was being attacked from
the rear by a northern ally Ahab had brought in against him, Ben Hadad turned
to face the threat, only to expose himself to the attack of Ahab’s main force
streaming now through the narrow.

Once again the Syrians were routed & retreated to Aphek,
trying to clamor insides its walls.

But their numbers were too many & a wall collapsed,
killing thousands.

3. An ill-advised treaty • vs. 31-34

31Then his servants said
to him, “Look now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are
merciful kings. Please, let us put sackcloth around our waists and ropes around
our heads, and go out to the king of Israel; perhaps he will spare your life.”32So they wore sackcloth around their
waists and put ropes around their heads, and came to the king of Israel
and said, “Your servant Ben-Hadad says, ‘Please let me live.’ ” And he said, “Is
he still alive? He is my brother.”

It was obvious the end was coming so Ben Hadad’s counselors
suggested surrender, showing themselves to be willing supplicants instead of
the boastful braggarts they’d been before.

Instead of gloating over his defeated foe, Ahab graciously
extends leniency to Ben-Hadad.

In fact, Ahab went too far.

33Now the men were watching closely
to see whether any sign of mercy would come from him; and they quickly
grasped at this word and said, “Your brother Ben-Hadad.” So he said,
“Go, bring him.” Then Ben-Hadad came out to him; and he had him come up into
the chariot.

A conquering king usually showed his victory by demanding
the defeated prostrate himself & take an oath of loyalty – usually at the
point of a sword.

A king would often place his foot
on the neck of an opponent, saying in effect, “I have total mastery over you.
You life is in my hand. From no on you owe me!”

Since it had been Ben Hadad’s intent to submit Israel to the
place of vassaldom, the least Ahab out to have done was require an oath of fealty
on the king of Syria’s part.

But he does none of this – he
extends his hand to him in complete equality – by inviting him into his
chariot.

Ahab may think he’s being
magnanimous but all he’s doing is proving once & for all he’s a terrible
judge of character.

Ahab had misjudged Jezebel,
the prophets of Baal, Elijah, and here he’s badly fooled by the Syrians.

Being a good judge of character is a trait essential to a
ruler.

The good ruler realizes the
importance of counsel and seeks to surround him/herself with good people who
can give good advice.

So being a good judge of people is
a crucial skill.

Ahab was a complete dim-bulb when
it came to this part of his reign.

34So Ben-Hadad said to him,
“The cities which my father took from your father I will restore; and you may
set up marketplaces for yourself in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria.”
Then Ahab said, “I will send you away with this treaty.” So he made a
treaty with him and sent him away.

Well, this doesn’t look so bad. Hang on.

4. Ahab rebuked • vs. 35-43

35Now a certain man of the sons of
the prophets said to his neighbor by the word of the Lord, “Strike me, please.” And the man refused to strike him.36Then he said to him, “Because you
have not obeyed the voice of the Lord,
surely, as soon as you depart from me, a lion shall kill you.” And as soon as
he left him, a lion found him and killed him.

What? This prophet was being commissioned by God to go
confront King Ahab with a poignant object lesson.

So he approached someone with a
command to smack him with a serious blow that would wound him; that wound would
be part of the lesson for Ahab.

The person the prophet asked to
strike him knew this was being directed by God but he refused.

That’s
why the guy was judged so harshly.

37And he found another man, and
said, “Strike me, please.” So the man struck him, inflicting a wound.

Probably because he knew about what happened to the previous
guy.

38Then the prophet departed and
waited for the king by the road, and disguised himself with a bandage over his
eyes.39Now as the king
passed by, he cried out to the king and said, “Your servant went out into the
midst of the battle; and there, a man came over and brought a man to me, and
said, ‘Guard this man; if by any means he is missing, your life shall be for
his life, or else you shall pay a talent of silver.’40While your servant was busy here and there, he was gone.” Then the king
of Israel said to him, “So shall your judgment be; you yourself
have decided it.”41And he hastened to take the bandage away from his eyes; and the king of
Israel recognized him as one of the prophets.42Then he said to him, “Thus says the Lord:
‘Because you have let slip out of your hand a man whom I appointed to
utter destruction, therefore your life shall go for his life, and your people
for his people.’ ”43So
the king of Israel went to his house sullen and displeased, and came to
Samaria.

Ben Hadad’s war of aggression on Israel ought to have been
dealt with by his execution, not a treaty.

God had made his will to Ahab clear
by the previous prophets who’d spoken to him that Ben Hadad was to meet his
end.

But following his typical pattern
of thinking he knew better than God, Ahab had decided to let him live and even
to re-establish him on the throne of Damascus.

In the same way Nathan had confronted David over his sin
with Bathsheba by telling a story, this prophet secures Ahab’s judgment against
himself by telling this little tale.

Knowing he’s condemned himself, Ahab returned to his palace
at Samaria in a foul mood.

Which is pretty much were we’re
going to find him for the rest of his story – in a sullen, bummed out place.

D. Naboth’s Vineyard • 21:1-16

Now we get a little story meant to illustrate the warnings Samuel had given Israel when they
demanded a king a couple hundred years before.

Samuel said, “Are you sure you want
a king? He’s going to be hard to deal with. He’s going to raise taxes, and
draft your young men into military service, and he’s going to take your lands
and set up his own idea of justice. Are you sure that’s what you want?”

And they said, “Yep!”

1And it came to pass after these
things that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard which was in
Jezreel, next to the palace of Ahab king of Samaria.

Jezreel was a lovely city
up north where Ahab & Jezebel had a summer palace.

Naboth had some land bordering that
palace with a nice vineyard on it.

Keep in mind that
when people wanted too cool off during the hot times of the year, they didn’t
go indoors; no air conditioning or good ventilation.

They kept gardens, & used trees
for shade, under which they’d sit.

2So Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying,
“Give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a vegetable garden, because it is
near, next to my house; and for it I will give you a vineyard better than it. Or,
if it seems good to you, I will give you its worth in money.”

Pragmatic Ahab has what he thinks is a great idea.

“My palace is here, Naboth’s
vineyard is right there. I want it. I can annex it & either trade it for
one of my other properties somewhere else or just pay Naboth for it.
Excellent!”

What’s Ahab not considering?

You can’t buy or sell land in
Israel – the land belongs to God and is given by Him to the tribes &
families. [Lev,. 25 & Num. 36]

3But Naboth said to Ahab, “The Lord forbid that I should give the inheritance
of my fathers to you!”

Here’s one man at least in Israel who still honors the
commands of Yahweh.

4So Ahab went into his house sullen
and displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to
him; for he had said, “I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.” And
he lay down on his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no food.

What a spoiled brat!

5But Jezebel his wife came to him,
and said to him, “Why is your spirit so sullen that you eat no food?”6He said to her, “Because I spoke to
Naboth the Jezreelite, and said to him, ‘Give me your vineyard for money; or
else, if it pleases you, I will give you another vineyard for it.’ And
he answered, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.’ ”7Then Jezebel his wife said to him, “You now exercise authority over
Israel! Arise, eat food, and let your heart be cheerful; I will give you the
vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.”

Jezzy doesn’t understand what the problem is.

She comes form a place in Phoenicia
where the king has absolute authority and can do what he wants.

There is no justice higher than the
king’s.

For her, might makes right.

So she says, “Leave it to me. I’ll show you how it’s done.
If you want something—Take it.”

8And she wrote letters in Ahab’s
name, sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters to the elders and
the nobles who were dwelling in the city with Naboth.9She wrote in the letters, saying, “Proclaim
a fast, and seat Naboth with high honor among the people;10and seat 2 men, scoundrels, before him to bear witness against him,
saying, ‘You have blasphemed God and the king.’ Then take him out, and
stone him, that he may die.”11So the men of his city, the elders and nobles who were inhabitants of
his city, did as Jezebel had sent to them, as it was written in the
letters which she had sent to them.12They proclaimed a fast, and seated Naboth with high honor among the
people.13And 2 men,
scoundrels, came in and sat before him; and the scoundrels witnessed against
him, against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, “Naboth has
blasphemed God and the king!” Then they took him outside the city and stoned
him with stones, so that he died.14Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, “Naboth has been stoned and is
dead.”15And it came to
pass, when Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, that Jezebel
said to Ahab, “Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite,
which he refused to give you for money; for Naboth is not alive, but dead.”16So it was, when Ahab heard that
Naboth was dead, that Ahab got up and went down to take possession of the
vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.

Using Ahab's authority, Jezebel hatched a conspiracy.

She wrote a letter to the rulers of
Jezreel, calling them to call for a fast.

Public fasts like this were called
for as a way to avoid God's judgment for some heinous sin.

They weren’t to publish ahead of
time what sin was being exposed, only to invite Naboth to officiate as one of the city leaders.

They did as they were bidden, and at the right moment, 2 crooks
who’d been paid got up and leveled their charge against Naboth.

Two witnesses were needed because
this was a capital crime and so they both had to give the same story – which
they did, and Naboth was dragged out and stoned.

When the deed was done, Jezebel
went to Ahab with the good news he could take possession of the plot he wanted.

What about Naboth’s relatives? Why didn’t they take the
property so it could stay in the family?

2 Kings 9 tells us along with
Naboth his sons were also killed!

This was a prime
example of government corruption at the highest level.

Unknown to Jezebel, Ahab, or those corrupt elders, God was
intently watching all their affairs.

Their sin and corruption would not
go unanswered.

E. Elijah Condemns Ahab • 21:17-29

17Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite,
saying,18 “Arise, go down
to meet Ahab king of Israel, who lives in Samaria. There he is,
in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone down to take possession of it.

God spoke to Elijah as soon as Ahab went to survey his new
land.

19You shall speak to him, saying,
‘Thus says the Lord: “Have you
murdered and also taken possession?”’ And you shall speak to him, saying, ‘Thus
says the Lord: “In the place
where dogs licked the blood of Naboth, dogs shall lick your blood, even
yours.”’”

Though Jezebel had been the primary author of the conspiracy
to murder Naboth, Ahab knew what she was up to & did nothing to stop her.
He was as guilty as she.

Elijah tells Ahab that just as the dogs had lapped up
Naboth’s blood outside of Jezreel where he’d been stoned, so too Ahab’s blood
would be lapped up by the dogs.

This meant he’d not die of natural
causes but would in some way be murdered.

20So Ahab said to Elijah, “Have you
found me, O my enemy?” And he answered, “I have found you, because you
have sold yourself to do evil in the sight of the Lord:21‘Behold,
I will bring calamity on you. I will take away your posterity, and will cut off
from Ahab every male in Israel, both bond and free.

A fitting punishment since this is what Ahab & Jezebel
had done to Naboth’s family.

22I will make your house like the
house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of
Ahijah, because of the provocation with which you have provoked Me to
anger, and made Israel sin.’

These were 2 earlier dynasties of Israel that had been
completely wiped out because they’d led Israel into idolatry.

23And concerning Jezebel the Lord also spoke, saying, ‘The dogs
shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.’24The dogs shall eat whoever belongs to Ahab and dies in the city, and
the birds of the air shall eat whoever dies in the field.”

The ultimate humiliation, especially for royalty, was to not be buried in a significant monument or tomb,
but to be left for scavengers.

25But there was no one like Ahab
who sold himself to do wickedness in the sight of the Lord, because Jezebel his wife stirred him up.26And he behaved very abominably in
following idols, according to all that the Amorites had done, whom the Lord had cast out before the children
of Israel.

Under Jezebel’s wicked influence, Ahab opened wide the
floodgates of idolatry & paganism in Israel.

His sins rivaled the hideous
practices of the Amorites.

One of the reasons God brought
Israel back in to Canaan after their years of bondage in Egypt was to act as
the instrument of His justice in judging the incredibly wicked Canaanites, who
were mostly descendants of the Amorites.

27So it was, when Ahab heard those
words, that he tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his body, and fasted and
lay in sackcloth, and went about mourning.28And the word of the Lord
came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,29“See how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled
himself before Me, I will not bring the calamity in his days. In the days of his
son I will bring the calamity on his house.”

This is so amazing!

Ahab has enough history with Elijah to know when this guy
says something, well, it comes to pass.

And now that this serious message
of personal judgment has come, Ahab awakens from his classic pragmatism long
enough to realize he’s been a fool & needs to repent. Which, he does.

It’s not easy for someone like a king, who’s used to wearing
sumptuous regal robes to replace them with a scratchy burlap sack – but Ahab
does it.

This is an amazing mark of humility
that by God’s response seems to be a genuine mark of repentance.

And because Ahab repented, even
after all the evil he did, God relented of the judgment He’d announced.